Re: Oracle training

On Wed, 15 Dec 2004 13:53:59 +0000, ryan_gaffuri_at_comcast.net
<ryan_gaffuri_at_comcast.net> wrote:
> training classes like that are usually very expensive and pretty weak. just take the 1 required class for the certification and read the books. you don't need training to pass a certification test.>

I find the training courses useful to make sure that you're covering
all the bases, also I don't learn well from books. It's the
certification that I doubt the usefulness of. I've met too many
people who've been on a few courses, read some books, passed the exams
(usually on a cram, take, forget basis) and got their certification
(not just OCP, it appears to be endemic in the certification
industry), but know nothing about the software.

On Connor McDonald's site (http://www.oracledba.co.uk/) he has a page
where he discusses certification and expresses a similar concern about
OCP to the main one I have. OCP doesn't mean you know Oracle.

My feelings from doing the 8i OCP and looking at some practice exams
for 9i is that the questions are there because they're things that are
easy to ask questions about, not because the knowledge they test is
important.

A disturbing amount of time in my recent career has been taken up
fixing problems that contractors with OCP status have caused through
not understanding the basics of what they are doing. Also on the
courses I have been on the tutor on three out of the four has started
out by asking if we want them to teach us what we need to pass the
exams or what we need to be able to manage Oracle! Not exactly a
confidence builder about the certification.

In all honesty if I was recruiting someone to replace me and they said
on their application that they had OCP but didn't back it up by
referencing plenty of experience then they wouldn't even get an
interview. Experience plus OCP is good, OCP without plenty of
experience is bad.